AUBURN, Ala. – It's time to meet the Class of 2020. Over the next three weeks, we'll be bringing you Q&As with all five newcomers. Next up is Chris Moore, a versatile forward from Arkansas.
Favorite movie? More than a Game (Lebron James documentary)
Favorite food? Crab legs and steak
Favorite musical artist? NoCap
What video game are you playing right now? NBA 2K
What was the go-to Netflix show during quarantine? The Flash
Nicknames? C-Mo, Supaman
Who would you pick to play you in a movie? The Rock
What do you plan to major in? Kinesiology
Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?
Moore: I've got a little prayer that I do. It's a little salute to God right before tip-off.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Moore: I can dance. I took a dance class when I was younger. I used to be skinny, but now I got big so it doesn't look the same anymore.
When did you start playing basketball?
Moore: It was second grade. I really wasn't into it that much. I was always a football player. I used to want to be the next Chris Johnson. I always looked up to him when he played for the Titans. But it's actually a crazy story. My first organized basketball was the Boys and Girls Club in West Memphis. We lost every single game, and I wanted to quit. The games we lost, it was by 1 or 3 points. I think the most we lost by that season was 9, but we lost every game. I just wanted to quit, but my brother pushed me to keep going and be a multi-sport athlete.
Did you play football through high school?
Moore: I stopped eighth grade year for two reasons. One, I tore my meniscus in my left knee. It was our last game. I caught a touchdown and landed on my knee first and kind of went back, and I guess I tore my meniscus. I also stopped playing because I was the first ninth grader at my school to play varsity basketball.
What is the biggest basketball highlight of your career?
Moore: Winning the Peach Jam championship, 16U. We made it 15U and we lost badly in the morning game. We just had a bad game. Coming back 16U, winning the whole thing was great.
Who's your favorite NBA player?
Moore: Lebron. He's actually one of the reasons why I love basketball. The first game I saw him play was against the Denver Nuggets when Carmelo (Anthony) was playing there. He picked them apart. I think he dunked on Marcus Camby and that's when I asked somebody, "Will I ever be able to dunk like that?" My brother told me, "If you put in the work and you trust the process, we can get you like that." That's when I started playing basketball.
Has anybody thrown around the Charles Barkley comparison?
Moore: A lot. I get compared to Charles a lot. I really can't wait to meet him. Picking his brain about how college was, how somebody like me being a hybrid can be the way he was.
What made you choose Auburn?
Moore: Coach Pearl had a message that stuck with me. He told me, "When you leave here, you have to think of Auburn being a place you want to come back to. If it's not a place you want to come back to, it's not the place for you." That message kind of stuck with me the whole time because I had been to Memphis, I had been to Arkansas, I had been to a lot of colleges, but Auburn kind of seemed like a home away from home. The family atmosphere, them showing the love and support that they did – it just got me riled up to come here. And now I'm so glad I made that decision because it does feel like a home away from home.
What stood out from your visits to Auburn?
Moore: Really what stood out to me was how polished everything looked compared to other campuses and just the team identity. The identity Coach Pearl instills in his team is something I live life with.
Give me one word to describe Coach Pearl.
Moore: Energetic.
How do you think Coach Pearl and his system can help your game?
Moore: He's all about mismatches. What I've been told is that I can be a mismatch problem if I put in the right work and keep a good sense about my body. But he loves to find mismatches. He loves to play fast. He chooses guys that are going to give 110 percent for 30-40 minutes.
How do you see yourself fitting into the team this year?
Moore: I think I can make a huge impact as a freshman. I think I can be the player to shock a lot of people. To me, I think I've always been underrated because of where I'm from and the kind of person I am. So I think I can shock a lot of people this upcoming season. But also being that player who is comfortable doing the things other players don't want to do. Being a coachable person. Just being a team player.
What stands out about this incoming 2020 class?
Moore: What really stands out to me is how focused we are, how we've already started a brotherhood. We love being in the gym together. We have a group chat now where we talk about a lot of stuff. It's kind of like we've known each other for a long time because we're so close now. We talk a lot, we joke around. But what really stands out to me is how focused we are about the upcoming season and how much we want to make an impact.
What's it been like watching Auburn basketball the past couple years?
Moore: It's been very exciting. When I committed, I was like "I really could be a part of one of the best schools in the SEC, one of the up-and-coming programs in college basketball."